Edge of Tomorrow

MPC’s underwater sequence for Edge of Tomorrow.

Edge of Tomorrow is science-fiction film directed by Doug Liman from a screenplay adapted by Dante Harper and starring Tom Cruise and Emily Blunt

Lead by VFX Supervisor Gary Brozenich and DFX Supervisor Matt Middleton, who worked closely with Production VFX Supervisor Nick Davis, MPC delivered the finale sequence which follows Tom Cruise's character “Cage” under the water to destroy the Alien “Omega”.

Cage is integrated with a CG submerged Lourve car park environment and the Alien “Alpha” which follows him under water, ripping through the already partially destroyed concrete structure of the car park. An underwater tank shoot provided the plates of Cage for the majority of the sequence, with a number of the wider shots using a Cage digi-double.

The Alpha creature consisted of thousands of segments, which forms its numerous limbs, all controlled using a mixture of procedural and hand animation by MPC’s animation team.

The CG underwater environment was fully modelled, textured and displaced to provide the detail and parallax required as the camera descends quickly through narrow concrete passages. Prman was used throughout for the rendering of the environments, creatures and FX.

A number of FX simulations using both Maya fluids and Flowline were created for the water surface, plankton and subsequent dust and debris impacts. The destruction of the Omega's core was created using both filmed material and CG. The explosive elements were specifically shot in a glass tank and shot at a high frame rate using a Phantom camera. They were combined with a number of FX elements which were simulated in Maya and Flowline, including bubbles, rolling dust clouds and debris.

The ink-like fluid that initiates Cage’s last time loop was simulated using Maya fluids. It was designed to have a realistic ink dynamic whilst having sentience, as the fluid gradually encapsulates Cage. Specific ink elements were filmed at MPC for the final shot of the film, which sees the fluid travel along Cage’s face and blacks out his eyes. This shot used a combination of Maya Fluids and the filmed ink elements.